This summer, as Escambia and Santa Rosa residents have sweat through more than 30 heat advisories and average monthly temperatures for the state that were “much above normal,” Floridians are struggling to pay the bills to keep cool.
While the mean temperature remained roughly average throughout the summer months in the Pensacola area, according to the Florida Climate Center , the heat index for the area was over 100 degrees almost daily.
According to National Weather Service in Mobile meteorologist Cody Lindsey, there was frequently “high humidity in place” in conjunction with the high temperatures, which kept the heat index high and frequently within heat advisory range.
At the same time, the state is asking the federal government for an additional $35 million to pay for low-income Floridians who have endured “record inflation, hurricanes, wildfires, and tornadoes that have caused families to look for temporary help in their communities,” while silently wiping references to climate change out of statutes.